The Effective May 24, 2007, Senate Bill 0786 and HB 2122 requires plumbers to be pre-approved by the Board prior to taking the mechanical plumbing exam (CMC or CMC-A) by providing evidence of 3 years of experience. There is a specific Exam Approval Request form that candidates need to fill out and send to the Board Office. Once submitted, the proof of 3 years of experience the board will send PSI confirmation to approve the SS# for testing. The process will take less than 3 business days if faxed to (615) 532-2868. ALL PLUMBERS MUST BE PRE-APPROVED TO TEST AND WILL BE REQUIRED TO LIST 3 YEARS OF PROVEN EXPERIENCE.

The first step in the licensing process is to pass the exam. You will then submit an application to the state licensing board with documentation of your experience, financial information, and your passing test score.

Limited License holders are not contractors, therefore, not required to pass the Business and Law Management exam, only the trade exam is required to obtain this license.

Candidates must document at least 2,000 hours of experience before the Board will approve the application.

There are no state mandated minimum financial requirements for this license.

All contractors with 1 or more employees are required to carry Worker’s Compensation insurance.

Scope of Work:

A Limited License Plumber means any person who performs any plumbing work and non-medical gas piping work that has a total cost less than $25,000. The following counties DO NOT require a State LLP license to do work under $25,000 (Benton, Decatur, Dickson, Giles, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Humphreys, Lake, Lawrence, Lewis, Obion, Perry, Stewart, and Weakley). Other local licensing may be required in these counties.

Applications:

Applications are available from the Licensing Board at:

Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors

500 James Robertson Pkwy, 1st Floor

Nashville, TN 37243-1150

Phone 615-741-8307/

The application fee is $75. Applications must be submitted to the board by the 20th of the month prior to the month in which the board has their next meeting. The Board meets in January, March, May, July, September, and November.

Reciprocity:

Tennessee has a limited reciprocity agreement with the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina for the trade exam. Check with the state licensing board for exact details and a list of licenses covered.

Continuing Education:

As of this time Tennessee doesn’t require continuing education for this license.

Exam:

The fee for the exam is $57.

The Tennessee Limited License Plumber exam has 40 questions and a time limit of 2 hours.

A score of 73% is required. (29 correct)

Topics covered on the exam are general knowledge and math, water supply and distribution, fixtures (including water heaters), drain, waste and vent systems (including indirect and special waste), traps, cleanouts and interceptors, isometric analysis, gas appliances and piping, OSHA safety, and general requirements (not including gas) – administrative, structural, backflow, materials and supports, joints and connections, storm drains, and testing.

To schedule your exam, you must first obtain pre-approval from the board. Then, contact PSI at 1-800-733-9267

References:

The references listed in the Right-Hand column are permitted to be taken into the examination. These references may be tabbed (with permanent index tabs) and highlighted. They are available for purchase from our online contractor’s bookstore or by calling our office at 1-800-992-1910.

Training:

American Contractors offers a 6-hour seminar to prepare you for the Tennessee Limited License Plumber exam. Please contact us for additional information, 1-800-992-1910.